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The horrors of a used Table Saw

12-07-2009, 11:07 PM

I recently purchased a used table saw (Craftsman 113.299315 Contractor saw). I think I found out why they sold it so cheap. After a lot of work it appears that not only was it poorly assembled at the factory but that was compounded by poor assembly by the P.O. When I got it home I discovered the blade wasn't 90 degrees to the table surface. Off by quite a bit actually. Mybe 1/32 close to the arbor. That turned out to be two issues, one of witch was casting flash on the arbor cradle where it hits the 90 degree stop. I filed that off and proceeded with checking and inspecting. I also noticed that the motor was cocked at a slight angle on it's mounting plate so took it off and fixed that. When reinstalling the motor I reached up inside to put the arbor shaft end of the belt over the pulley and the pulley came off in my hand! Put that back on and tightened the set screw and adjusted the motor pulley to get the belt to line up better. After getting it back together, I plugged it in and it ran fine with less vibration than before but found out that the arbor shaft pulley hits a casting part on the top when raised all the way. I suspect this is the other part of not getting the blade 90 degrees to the table because it never touches the 90 degree stop screw unless I take the arbor pulley off. Turned out the woodruff key in the arbor shaft is installed cocked and won't let the pulley slide on far enough to clear the casting. Haven't figured out a way to get the key out yet, it's stuck in the shaft groove. I then discovered that it was very hard to turn the tilt wheel. I looked underneath and found quite a bit of sawdust on the screw threads and in the trunions. Cleaned all that off with a chip brush and vacuum but it was still hard to turn but better. Couldn't seem to get it all the way to the 45 degree stop though and in attemting to, wound up stripping a couple of threads on the tilt screw. Eventually I wound up taking the cast iron top off the base and laying it face down on a blanket on the floor. Upon examination and in trying to move the arbor cradle to the 45 degree position I found out that the cradle is binding in the front trunnion to the point that it won't move either way with out tapping with a rubber mallet. I suspect that the front trunnion (in fact the whole arbor cradle) is cocked to one side causing the cradle to bind on the front trunnion. I'm going to have to build an open stand to set the top on so I can try to adjust it using a mastergage masterplate and make sure it's aligned with the miter slots and the blade insert. With all of this I'm sure the guy I bought it from got rid of it because it had to be making really lousy cuts. Of course he compounded things by assembling it sloppily besides the factory screwups. The bright side is, there doesn't seem to be a lot of wear on the mechanism or arbor shaft play, or excessive runout on the arbor face. I found one high spot about .0005 in the full circumference. When I get the cradle issues straightened out it should be a good saw and last a long time. (Providing I can get a new tilt screw. The mechanism is the same as a Ridgid 24120,24121,24240 or 24241 so I can probably use one from Ridgid since Sears doesn't have one for it)

we're all wondering and it's none of our business, but just how much did they take you for, er, I, uh mean... how much did you invest in this fine piece of equipment... you don't have to say, if you don't want to...

Comment

we're all wondering and it's none of our business, but just how much did they take you for, er, I, uh mean... how much did you invest in this fine piece of equipment... you don't have to say, if you don't want to...

Don't mind. $150 and it has VERY LITTLE wear. Replcement parts came today so I'll be putting it back together tomorrow. Already fixed the pulley issue and the 90 degree issue but can't do the alignment till it's back together.

Comment

I 'inherited' an old craftsman TS that had been sitting outside for a year AFTER it had been in a fire (smoke damage).

I installed a set of PALs, a Link belt, and Incra miter gauge, a home made mobile base and a Delta T2 fence. I gave this saw away recently and kept everything except the PALs.

I finally threw in the towel when I started trying to incorporate dust control. There are many choices on the market these days that provide greater accuracy, features and a smaller foot print. That motor hanging off the back end takes up a lot of space. While an out feed table can be removed when not in use, that motor just created a headache.

You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd. The old contractor saw is an outdated design whose best days are well behind it. But, it will still cut wood and you will be able to get it dialed in to an acceptable degree of accuracy. But until you have suffered through the trials and tribulations of working with a contractor saw you won't be able to appreciate the better engineered features of the contemporary class of saws.

I've always advised parents that if they want to buy their child a musical instrument, buy them a decent and functional instrument. If they show passion, interest, discipline and aptitude, then you buy a nice, high quality instrument because they will be able to appreciate what that instrument can do.

Junior can't tell or appreciate the difference between a Squire strat and a Custom Les Paul Deluxe.

Comment

I 'inherited' an old craftsman TS that had been sitting outside for a year AFTER it had been in a fire (smoke damage).

I installed a set of PALs, a Link belt, and Incra miter gauge, a home made mobile base and a Delta T2 fence. I gave this saw away recently and kept everything except the PALs.

I finally threw in the towel when I started trying to incorporate dust control. There are many choices on the market these days that provide greater accuracy, features and a smaller foot print. That motor hanging off the back end takes up a lot of space. While an out feed table can be removed when not in use, that motor just created a headache.

You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd. The old contractor saw is an outdated design whose best days are well behind it. But, it will still cut wood and you will be able to get it dialed in to an acceptable degree of accuracy. But until you have suffered through the trials and tribulations of working with a contractor saw you won't be able to appreciate the better engineered features of the contemporary class of saws.

I've always advised parents that if they want to buy their child a musical instrument, buy them a decent and functional instrument. If they show passion, interest, discipline and aptitude, then you buy a nice, high quality instrument because they will be able to appreciate what that instrument can do.

Junior can't tell or appreciate the difference between a Squire strat and a Custom Les Paul Deluxe.

Well, they say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but that doesn't stop us from trying. lol

Comment

Well, they say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but that doesn't stop us from trying. lol

Don't get me wrong. There is value in going the way your going. Just keep an eye on forward compatibility with any future equipment replacements. I didn't have a problem going with upgraded components because I knew I would be able to use them either on the next table saw or elsewhere within the shop.

Comment

Don't get me wrong. There is value in going the way your going. Just keep an eye on forward compatibility with any future equipment replacements. I didn't have a problem going with upgraded components because I knew I would be able to use them either on the next table saw or elsewhere within the shop.